Acura has been serious about performance behind the scenes for a few years now. The public is about to discover the first fruits of their efforts.
The luxury arm of Honda has released a teaser image and some engine information of the forthcoming 2021 Acura TLX and divulged that the full model will be shown on May 28.
There’s a few key things you can see by turning up the brightness on the photo, the most important being the Type S badging on the driver’s side rear of the car.
Acura has been dropping clues about the Type S arrival for years, even going so far as to show off the Type S Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2019.
Type S is slated to be Acura’s next step in the performance pyramid. Think of it as the equivalent of Audi’s S models (like the S4 and S6). The automaker says that the model will be, “the quickest, best-handling, and most well-appointed sports sedan in Acura history.“
With the teaser, Acura is only showing the rear of the car. There, in addition to the badging is a quad exhaust, LED taillights, a fin antenna on the roof, flared fenders, and SH-AWD badging. The SH-AWD badging denotes that the model comes equipped with Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. This version of all-wheel drive is available on the current TLX and can transfer up to 45 percent of engine power to the rear wheels, giving the car additional traction in slippery conditions.
We also know that the TLX Type S will be the first model in Acura’s lineup to to feature the company’s new dedicated turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine. Look for the car to have upwards of 300 horsepower. The 2020 TLX has an available V6 that produces 290 horsepower.
Though not shown, the front of the car will follow the current Acura design language, which was set in place by the Precision Concept, which debuted in 2016 at the North American International Auto Show.
